Banner “Freedom for political prisoners” remained over Minsk-Moscow highway for more than a day

The banner was noticed by representatives of the Chinese delegation.

Leanid Kulakou, a representative of European Belarus civil campaign, was to be released from a detention facility on May 12 after serving seven days in custody for participating in a picket near the Mound of Glory. However, the activist was taken to a new trial for the banner “Freedom for political prisoners”. The only proof of the police was that Kulakou's mobile phone was near the site. The activist claims he just gave his friend a ride to the airport. The court decided that the activist had helped to hang out the banner “Freedom for political prisoners”. The activist was fined 30 basic amounts. Leadnid Kulakou told Radio Svaboda about details of the case:

“I was tried for the banner 'Freedom for plitical prisoners', which remained on the bridge over the highway Minsk-Russian border on the way to the airport for more than a day. Policemen said the Chinese delegation had seen the banner. As a result, 'very serious' people were punished, but I don't know who exactly – police officers or officials. I know it from officers of the Smaliavichy police department. They needed to punish someone, and they came across the information about the location of my mobile phone, which was near the airport. I was detained in Minsk after work and taken to Smaliavichy. I said to the police that I would certainly have helped to hang out the banner.”

Before the trial, Leanid Kulakou already spent seven days in a detention centre in the basement of the Smaliavichy department. He described confinement conditions there.

“It's awful. I cannot describe it in other words. You don't see daylight. I can know that it is day now only by a narrow slit over the window. It is impossible to sleep, because iron beds are covered with metal shields, on which you can lay only for 10 minutes. It is cold like in winter, and it smells bad. There's no toilet. You have to use a bucket. It smells, and you cannot eat there. I felt sick in the first few days. My cellmate was a guy who earlier shared the cell with two Minsk residents. They said the detention centre in Minsk was full ahead of May 9, so many inmates were sent to districts. The police 'cleaned' the city before the celebration so that hundreds of detained people couldn't spoil the picture for thousands of Minsk residents,” he says.